I was at a swanky bar when the message came through on my Blackberry. "MJ is dead," screened my silver smartphone. The email didn't need further explanation. There was only one "MJ”. Michael Jordan, Mick Jagger and Magic Johnson and the rest of them couldn’t hold a candle. Within fifteen minutes, news filtered in that the fifty-year old pop icon had died after suffering a heart attack at his rented Los Angeles mansion. His death came a week before he was scheduled to begin a series of comeback tours in London.
I was shattered. Michael Jackson was my childhood hero ranking in the league of Superman and Wonder Woman. As children we worshipped him and tried unsuccessfully to master his killer dance steps after watching grainy videos of his performances. As I grew older, I couldn't understand his transformation from a playful brown skinned kid to a pointy-nosed, surgically-altered bleached eccentric.
The fatal cardiac arrest marked a tragic end for a great entertainer whose life had become a source of fascination for many. Over the years, the "King of Pop" had morphed from a highly talented precocious performer into a human freakshow whose life had become tabloid fodder. But he remained the world's biggest pop star, a global brand whose quirks didn't stop 350,000 fans from snapping up all the tickets to his much anticipated comeback tour.
At the height of his powers, Michael Jackson bestrode the entertainment world like a colossus, breaking sales records and countless female hearts. At his shows, ambulances ferried concertgoers who sometimes fainted at the mere sight of his gloved hand waving from a draped window. The seventh of nine children, he was only five when he gave his first public singing performance and by the time he was eight, he was clearly the star of The Jackson Five, a group made up of his brothers. He ultimately left the renamed Jacksons for a solo career and dazzled audiences. with his unique voice and twinkling feet. He had some minor hits before his partnership with legendary producer Quincy Jones resulted in "Thriller", the seminal album that went on to sell millions of copies and set a record for the highest number of Grammys won by one person in a single year.
In the Cold War eighties, he was one of America's top exports, a ubiquitous "moonwalking" megastar who churned out hits, raised millions for famine victims and attracted obsessive media coverage. But excessive cosmetic surgery soon began to transform him into a sinister looking creature. Although he claimed that he was afflicted with vitiligo, a rare pigmentation illness, the African American community suspected that he was ashamed of his race and was looking for an excuse to lighten his colour.
As he altered his looks, more eccentricities started to manifest. He soon earned the moniker, Wacko Jacko as his alarming behaviour became more pronounced. He was rumoured to sleep in an oxygen chamber, travelled with a chimp named Bubbles and embarked on shopping sprees with his young adolescent friend, the actor Macaulay Caulkin. Neverland, the storied million-dollar ranch he bought in 1987, was a fantasy zone fitted with zoos, arcades and a Ferris wheel.
The nadir of his career came when he was accused of abusing 13-year old Jordy Chandler in 1994. He reportedly settled the case for 20 million dollars but stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing. Shortly after, he married Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie in what many described as a "sham". union of two musical families. The marriage lasted just nineteen months and did nothing to temper Jackson's androgynous image. His second marriage to the little known nurse, Debbie Rowe, produced two children who wore black veils to protect them from the prying lenses of the paparazzi. The couple divorced in 1999 and he added a third child from a mystery surrogate mother. The child gained fame as "Blanket" after Jackson dangled him from a balcony in 2002.
In 2005, a jury acquitted Jackson of another child molestation case after investigators had investigated him for years. Although, he maintained a low profile after the trial, his extravagant lifestyle inevitably led to financial problems and he was forced to close his Neverland Ranch in 2006 and belatedly cancelled an auction of some of his prized possessions. Michael Jackson's life will always personify the tragedy that has touched most of the world's greatest entertainers, especially the child stars that crumble under the pressure of living the celebrity life. Even in his adulthood, Jackson still cut a vulnerable figure, a man-child too naïve to understand that he would always be a soft target. At one point, he was probably the most sued person in the world. Bodyguards, agents, realtors and friends went after his considerable wealth and he spent a considerable part of adult his life stuck with lawyers.
In spite of all his troubles, his star never really dimmed. While he released some poorly reviewed albums, most of his colleagues recognized his remarkable talent and would have paid a fortune to work with him. Michael Jackson's tumultuous life was a potent mix of success and misery. I really hope that he has a better time on the other side.
-Chike X. Eze-Editor
BROOKS Magazine, Lekki -Lagos
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